Body after baby: Getting your confidence back

Body after baby: Getting your confidence back

Of all the adventurous things I have tackled in my life thus far, I can tell you—definitivelymotherhood tops the list. As I write this, we are approaching Hudson’s first birthday. This little guy brings so much joy, challenge and change (for the betterto my life. He is truly a blessing! A number of you have requested a post regarding my postpartum fitness journey. It’s a rather tricky and individual topic, so I thought long and hard about how to craft a “body after baby” article that would actually be helpful. Therefore, I want to talk about mindset and misconceptions.

Most importantly, I want postpartum moms to know you WILL get there. Restoring body confidence is a marathon, not a sprint.

postpartum fitnessbody after babypostpartum fitnessBikini Top | Bikini Bottom | Whale PJs

To begin, let’s rewind the clock…

It’s 3 a.m. I am curled up in a corner of our bedroom, trying to stay awake through Hudson’s third overnight feed. Fighting sleep, I scroll through my phone, searching the web for “3 months postpartum”, “body after baby 3 months” and the like. Why? I was frustrated with my weight loss and eager to compare my journey to that of other moms.

Were my struggles normal? How much weight should I have lost by now? What can I do to speed up the process?

Was it a good idea? Definitely not.

It became a nightly habit and I discovered plenty of material to stoke the flames. Now, we not only have celeb magazines touting stars who “got their body back” in record time, we also have thousands of real women sharing their monthly weight loss on Instagram and blogs.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with posting photos. In fact, many women find it motivating to include others in their journey and to share their body after baby images. They say the photos keep them accountable in their quest for healthier habits and serve as a diary of sorts. I think we need to applaud those women who are giving us a more realistic postpartum perspective with their raw and unfiltered images. That said, for some new moms “progress” pics can also fuel unhealthy thoughts of comparison.

I knew better, but still fell into that “Body After Baby” trap.

Each time I slipped on snug pre-pregnancy clothing, glanced at an unflattering photo of myself, or received disappointing weight loss news at my postpartum checkups, my mind would immediately flit back to images of other new moms. They were at the same point as me, but already appeared back to their previous fitness level. Instead of feeling inspired, I felt dejected. It was like I was a hamster, running circles on a wheel but making no progress.

I should have been more patient with my body. I should have enjoyed the baby snuggles and not given my postpartum pooch a second thought. A new mom certainly has enough to worry about without her body entering into the equation!

Why am I telling you this?

First, I want new moms and those going through their first pregnancy to know body insecurities are normal. You are not alone. Secondly, I now realize my thoughts were NOT helpful. So here are a few body after baby truths to help you pass through the postpartum period with a healthier mindset.

Postpartum health and fitnessBikini Top | Bikini Bottom 


TRUTHYou WILL get there


Be patient and cut yourself some slack. Health experts often say since it takes 9 months to put the weight on, we should give ourselves 9 months to lose it. It’s true!

I didn’t gain a lot of weight during pregnancy. In fact, toward the end, I was struggling to gain enough. So, I ate a lot of full fat ice cream. Not exactly what my doc intended, but it worked (I gained about 25 lbs by the end) and was delicious!

Anyhow… Since I didn’t have a huge amount to lose, I thought the weight would come off quickly. Nope. I lost weight immediately after birth, but then everything stalled. Despite moderate exercise and healthy eating, it took a solid 6 months before I felt my body returning to its previous state.

Now, a full year later, I have my energy back and feel comfortable in my own skin. I’ll wear a bikini at the beach without a cover up and—more importantly—I realize I never should have been ashamed of my body! I just made a tiny human. Who cares about a few extra pounds?


FALSEThe weight “just falls off” while breastfeeding


This might be the case for some women, but it certainly wasn’t for me. We need to keep in mind that—despite magazine claims—breastfeeding is not a tool for weight loss, it’s a source of vital nutrition for baby. Weight loss is a side benefit.

My progress seemed to stall while I was breastfeeding. I think my body was trying to hold on to extra fat to keep up my milk supply. In addition, I felt unusually hungry while breastfeeding and often found myself eating in the middle of the night. (Not great when you’re trying to lose weight!)

When my son began trying cereal and other foods at 6 months, it was a like a switch flipped. The pounds began to drop. Within a week or two, I noticed my clothing fitting better.


TRUTH—Internet searches DON’T help


Comparison is never a healthy process, especially for emotionally fragile postpartum women. The body after baby journey is different for each of us, because there are so many factors at play. Our bodies are unique, our circumstances are unique and our challenges are unique too. Don’t forget, many of the images you see on Instagram or in magazines are edited. As someone who uses Photoshop at work, I know it can drastically alter an image.


FALSEYou can jump right back into your fitness routine


In theory, this is true (once you are cleared by your physician). In reality, it’s more complicated than that. Your body will “feel” different and your schedule will be different too.

I worked out daily (mild jogging or walking) until my last week of pregnancy and was quite eager to resume running my three daily miles. However, I found I simply didn’t have time for that. My body had healed, but I was so tired from overnight feeding sessions, I used every spare minute for a snooze. Breastfeeding is a huge time suck. Also, running with a stroller is more difficult than it looks.

Don’t feel bad if your workouts need to adapt after baby. You WILL find a new routine. For me, that meant workouts in the living room and more walking than running.

This post was a bit of an introduction. Next week, I’ll go into further detail about my postpartum workout routine and food choices. I’m curious, what has the postpartum period been like for you? What were your biggest challenges? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

—-Lindsay

My Suit & Hudson’s Outfit



  • This bikini is one of the few I’ve found this season that bucks the “cheeky” trend. As a new mom, I wanted full rear coverage. It’s pretty, but modest and has a slight retro feel. I can also tell it will hold up much better than some of my budget finds.

16 COMMENTS

  1. Victoria Martin | 14th Jun 18

    I am, once again, very impressed with you!! This was a very informative and empathetic article I’m sure many of your followers will love and need ❤️

    • laveremis | 19th Jun 18

      Thanks for the kind words! I am hoping it will be helpful to any of the new mommas out there who are looking for a bit of support.

  2. Explore The 6 | 20th Jun 18

    This is real life. Great info for new mothers, understanding that it takes time to bounce back. thanks for sharing.

  3. Geraline Batarra | 20th Jun 18

    This is such a nice article very informative and I really enjoy reading it. I gained a lot of weight after my second baby. I always being compared to others and its really gives a bad feeling that is why I pushed myself to do a bit of cardio and now I am happy that from 70 Kg I am now 50 Kg.

  4. Karla | 20th Jun 18

    Thanks for sharing this! I just gave birth last March and gained a lot of weight! This is very informative and useful for a mother like me!

  5. Nicole | 20th Jun 18

    This is a really great post! You are very right, it does take time to get your body back and then to feeling comfotable with your body again. My doctor told me it takes 9 months for your body to change, give it the same time if not more to have it change again. So many mom’s, including myself, are too hard on themselves. Just as you said, it will happen! Thanks for sharing!

  6. Nicole | 20th Jun 18

    Thank you for your honest post for all moms struggling with their bodies after their babies were born. It’s so hard to see those success stories about wearing pre pregnancy clothes after x months!

  7. Ann Snook-Moreau | 20th Jun 18

    This is so important! As women we always want to compare ourselves to others but in reality, as long as you and your baby are feeling healthy, that’s a win!

  8. Lisa Rios | 20th Jun 18

    You look beautiful! It can be hard to get confidence back after giving birth – I commend and applaud you!

  9. Elizabeth O | 20th Jun 18

    You look incredible. Gaining confidence back after giving birth can be such a hard slog indeed. This is a really helpful post indeed.

  10. Nina | 20th Jun 18

    you are stunning 🙂 and healthy too. I will share this with my friend who will give birth to her baby in October – this will be helpful for her

  11. Elle (CleverlyChanging) | 21st Jun 18

    It’s been nine since I gave birth to my twins and my stomach hasn’t turned to it’s original size. I’m not bothered because I think my results are genetic because I work out.

  12. Rachel | 21st Jun 18

    Wow great post, very honest and real. You look amazing in those pics! I don’t have children but would die for your body!

  13. Cindy Gordon | 21st Jun 18

    I know a lot of people who would be jealous of you! You seriously look amazing!

  14. Cindy S. | 22nd Jun 18

    Loved this post! It really puts things in perspective and give other moms or future moms a realistic idea on things. I guess the key is that everyone is diff and things take time. Celebs are always showing how quickly they got their.bodies back…sure with the type of resources they have readily available but for the average women no. We need more articles like this one.

  15. Pharmacist US | 16th Nov 20

    Weight loss after pregnancy can of course be difficult as most women’s bodies change in order to be a mother. Weight loss after pregnancy should not be rushed as long term health benefits will be lost if it is rushed and the weight may return.
    Anyway, https://pharmacyrxs.com might well advise you to wait a while before you start your weight loss after pregnancy so you will have sufficient energy and resources to feed your baby as at the start it will be an ongoing twenty four hours a day job.It may take 6 months or more after a pregnancy for the average mother’s weight loss to bring her body back to its usual metabolic rate along with the return of the normal amount of hormones that were present prior to conception but it is also important to remember that motherhood may produce some permanent changes.
    Let us not forget that a pregnant mother can gain anything form twenty five to thirty five pounds but can lose up to fourteen when the baby is born. Now whilst this weight loss after pregnancy happens immediately it can still leave up to another twenty one pounds which needs to be lost in the next half to three quarters of a year, but it must be done safely.

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